


What I Like About You

by iamjellinor



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Friendship, Gen, National Tournament, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 18:11:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2517074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamjellinor/pseuds/iamjellinor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackal realizes the moment Akaya sets his eyes on her that this girl is trouble. [KiriAn one-shot]</p>
            </blockquote>





	What I Like About You

**Author's Note:**

> Set during the first rounds of the National Tournament, and told from Jackal's point of view. Blame it on the plot bunny.
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply. First posted on fanfiction.net

**What I Like About You**

-#-

Jackal realizes the moment Akaya sets his eyes on her that this girl is _trouble_.

She is standing by a vending machine, clearly contemplating a purchase; and at a first glance she really doesn’t look much of anything. She’s cute enough, Jackal supposes, if you’re into the Girl-Next-Door sort of thing, but there’s nothing particularly striking about her in the looks department. But beauty is the eye of the beholder and all that jazz, and Jackal decides very quickly that the way Akaya literally lights up at the sight of her – and the way he immediately stalks over to press a random push button over her shoulder – does not bode well at all.

(Suddenly, taking Akaya for a walk around the place to distract him from the other teams doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.)

“H-Hey!” exclaims the girl angrily when the machine cranks out what looks like a can of iced coffee. “Yuck, coffee!”

Yuck, indeed. And Jackal promptly smacks Akaya over the back of the head for being an impulsive brat, before rifling through his own pockets for some spare change in hope of somehow repairing the damage.

“Geez, what’s your problem?” continues the girl as she reluctantly bends down to retrieve her drink. “There are plenty machines around if you’re in a hurry!”

Akaya sniggers. “Maybe I wanted to use this one,” he announces in a tone of voice that can only described as deliberately provoking.

Jackal is stunned. Even Akaya’s naturally wild and reckless nature to one side, he doesn’t usually go out of his way to cause trouble, at least not like this. And when the girl finally turns around to face them, the expression on her face would give even Sanada a run for his money.

“Who do you even think you—!” She stops, eyes narrowing into two thin slits. “Oh. It’s _you_.”

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t Tachibana’s little sister,” says Akaya smugly. “Long time, no see.”

Tachibana’s little sister? Jackal thinks hard, trying to recall a Tachibana. (He doesn’t.)

“Not long _enough_ ,” she quips, and Jackal must admit that whoever she is, this girl sure gives as good as she gets. “I thought I had seen the last of you at the Junior Selection Camp!”

The Junior Selection Camp? Jackal frowns. He has a vague memory receiving an invitation, but like most of the team he had declined. Akaya, on his part, accepted his, attending the special training camp along with Sanada and Renji; and while he was there, wasn’t he supposed to have— _oh good lord_. It couldn’t be THAT Tachibana, could it?

“It’s good to see you, too.” Akaya gives her a lopsided grin, eyes sparkling with mischief. “What are you doing here all by yourself? It isn’t safe for a girl to wander around on her own, you know.”

Tachibana Kippei’s little sister snorts loudly. “Nice to know you care,” she drawls sarcastically. “But I can look after myself just fine, thank you. I was getting the boys something to drink.”

“Ehh?” Akaya quirks a brow in mock surprise. “You mean, your precious Fudomine hasn’t gotten eliminated from the Tournament yet?”

“You _wish_ , Kirihara!” huffs Tachibana defensively. “For your information, we just wiped the floor with Echigo Daira Daini. 5-0.”

“Nice,” says Akaya with genuine approval, and the girl looks understandably suspicious. “Took your sweet time about it, though, if you only finished now. From what I’ve seen, those losers from Hokushinetsu shouldn’t even be here.”

Tachibana bristles anew, and Jackal can’t say he blames her. But that said, the last thing he needs right now is explaining to the Big Three just how Akaya ended up with a black eye and a bloody nose. “Akaya, easy,” he says warningly. Then to his stupid teammate’s latest victim/apparent frienemy, “Please excuse his behaviour, Tachibana-kun. Naturally we’ll pay for a new drink.”

“Uh, it’s alright, Kuwahara-san,” says the girl warily. “You don’t have to. I don’t mind.”

Jackal shrugs. The Rikkai Dai uniform tends to have that effect on people, but at least he offered.

Akaya smirks. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

“Go die in a ditch, Kirihara,” she deadpans.

“Nah, I’d rather not.” Akaya crosses his arms over his chest in a manner ridiculously reminiscent of Renji. “We’ve got some matches coming up in a bit, sorry.“

“That’s too bad,” snaps Tachibana coldly. Then, reluctantly, she asks, “Against who?”

Akaya taps his chin, obviously pleased with her reaction. “Not sure,” he replies easily. “Murigaoka, I think.”

She frowns. “Isn’t that the team specializing in spying on people? They’re total creeps, apparently.”

“Yep,” agrees Akaya cheerfully. “Doesn’t matter, though. They’re going down either way.”

“Oh how modest.”

The girl rolls her eyes, but Akaya doesn’t seem to take any notice. Instead, he cocks his head to the side and looks at her intently. “…well?” he prompts once he decides that Tachibana feels adequately uncomfortable.

“Well _what_?” she bites back, but with noticeably less spunk than before.

“Aren’t you going to ask what court we’ll be at so you can cheer for us when I win?”

Jackal shakes his head in total disbelief. Akaya didn’t just—

“K-Kirihara…” Tachibana takes a deep breath, then hisses, “Kirihara, have _you lost your damn mind_?”

“Whaaaat?” asks Akays innocently, and Jackal wonders what the idiot will get up to next. Flip up her skirt? Pull her hair? Steal her favourite eraser? Honestly, that kid!

“What on earth makes you think that _I_ —for _you_? Are you _crazy_?! _”_

Jackal sighs. He supposes that Akaya’s way of sweet-talking girls is plenty strange, and sort of really counterproductive. But even then, surely there is no need for her to look like she’s about to strangle him, is there? Jackal certainly doesn’t think so, until he remembers the exact details around the senior Tachibana’s broken leg. Then he is forced to admit that maybe she has a reason to be upset after all (and that Akaya is even _more_ of a deranged lunatic for still hitting on her when knowing this).

“…A-An-san?” A typical first-year wearing Fudomine’s drab colours has walked up to them and is regarding Jackal and Akaya nervously. “An-san, is everything alright? Ibu-san and Kamio-san thought that something might have happened, so Tachibana-san sent me to look for you.”

“I’m sorry for making everyone worry—” The girl smiles apologetically to the boy, “—tell my brother I’ll be right there, okay?”

The first-year looks like he wants to say something, but he clearly thinks better of it when Akaya bares his teeth. “I-I guess I’ll b-be going then,” stutters the poor soul before finally scurrying off.

Tachibana An sighs tiredly. “You know how even bad guys are supposed to have redeeming features?” she says unexpectedly.

Akaya looks surprised and a little proud at the sudden turn of events. “Yeah. I guess so, why?”

“And do you know what yours are?”

“No, what?” Akaya studies her appreciatively. “My eyes? My smile? My super awesome tennis skills?”

“ _None_ ,” she replies tartly, looking him squarely in the eye. “You, Kirihara, don’t have any redeeming features at all!”

Then she turns on her heel and stomps off in the direction of her team, and she doesn’t look back once.

Girl-Next-Door? Jackal could laugh out loud at his own foolishness. Extra-spicy firecracker was more like it.

“Jackal-senpai…” Akaya looks suspiciously dreamy, and Jackal can only conclude that boy he’s got it bad. “She totally wants me, doesn’t she?”


End file.
